LAWRENCEVILLE — Chloe Jones might only be a freshman, but she has a pretty good knowledge of the history surrounding Lawrenceville field hockey.

So when the Mercer County Tournament rolls around, Jones wants to be a part of continuing that legacy.

Jones got the Big Red started with a goal, and then Lawrenceville had to hold off Princeton Day in the final two minutes to take a 2-1 win yesterday in the opening round game of the MCT.

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Eighth-seeded Lawrenceville (6-4) and the No. 9 Panthers (6-9) played a scoreless first half as both teams battled mostly in the midfield.

Lawrenceville, the two-time defending MCT champions, now await the winner of No. 16 Hamilton and top-seeded Allentown, which is being played tomorrow.

With 13:23 to go in the game, Jones connected off a pass from Jane Kirby to make it 1-0. Kirby then added a goal at 10:38 for want appeared a comfortable 2-0 lead.

PDS, which never stopped competing, got a goal from Mary Travers with 1:41 left in the second half, and the final 101 seconds finished with intensity and pressure.

“This was awesome,” said Jones, whose sister, Maddie, is one of Lawrenceville’s senior captains. “There was a lot of pressure because there is a huge legacy here, and to win the MCT would be awesome. Being a freshman it’s going to be so cool to be a part of the tournament.”

Her knowledge of the Lawrenceville legacy is equaled by her ability on the field to be in the right place at the right time.

“She is a great athlete,” Lawrenceville coach Lisa Ewanchyna said. “She has drive and aggression in all the right ways. She understands the field, and all the rest of the stuff will catch up.”

From the 13:23 mark the Panthers, who have improved through the year, played catch-up.

“We came into this game with the feeling that we had nothing to lose, and we wanted to come out and leave it all on the line,” PDS coach Tracey Arndt sid. “The result wasn’t what we wanted, but we fought all game. It’s tough for the seniors because it’s their last time (MCT) and that is always tough.”

Lawrenceville’s goal to make it 2-0 came off a deflection by Kirby to the back of the cage. Julia Conley sent the ball to Kirby.

“It deflected off one of the PDS sticks and I was so lucky to just hit it in,” Kirby said. “It was awesome to have a second goal. We have been waiting for this game and we’re excited for the MCTs. We wanted to come out and play hard to win.”

Lawrenceville kept the pressure on most of the game, and PDS goalie Katie Alden hung tough, turning back seven shots. Galen Ogg was in the cage for Lawrenceville and recorded three saves.

“We’re always happy to move on,’’ Ewanchyna said. “The girls were really excited and it took us a while to figure out how to do it. It was a tough game and we have a tough one on Saturday (Peddie), and hopefully we can maintain it.”

Having a freshman like Jones with her Lawrenceville and MCT knowledge doesn’t hurt.